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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25647676">The Weight of a Name</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/were1993/pseuds/were1993'>were1993</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, More Of A, Pre-Relationship, loosely inspired by Spirited Away</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:28:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>920</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25647676</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/were1993/pseuds/were1993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeonghan took away his name and, with it, his memories—his self. </p>
<p>Xiaoba is content with his new life, working at a rest stop for departing spirits, but when a human boy accidentally spirits himself into their realm, Xiaoba is forced to reconsider whether this peace is worth losing himself and Mingyu for.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Director's Cut Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Weight of a Name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Loosely inspired by Spirited Away</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prologue: The Human Boy</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>He doesn’t remember his name.</p>
<p>Jeonghan told him that he didn’t need to know. Jeonghan took away his name and, with it, his memories—his self.</p>
<p>He doesn’t blame Jeonghan as some of his fellow colleagues do. He understands their frustration though. There’s something terrifying about not knowing how you became who you are.</p>
<p>The struggles and pain in your life help shape the person you become, and he understands. But what happens when the pain stops you from being anything?</p>
<p>He doesn’t blame Jeonghan. Not when he remembers the moment Jeonghan took his name—<em>I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry that this happened to you</em>, Jeonghan whispered, slowly wiping away the burning liquid and tears from his cheeks—and gave him a new one.</p>
<p>小八—<em>xiaoba</em> <em>because you should have been the eighth wonder of the world.</em></p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Xiaoba works at a rest stop for spirits before they pass on. He says rest stop in the loosest sense of the term.</p>
<p>Jeonghan created this place to be a hotel, a restaurant, and a carnival all together. Give those who were leaving the mortal plane their last hurrah! At least, that’s what Jihoon says.</p>
<p>Xiaoba can’t see it—the crumbling outdoor patio, the half-collapsed ferris wheel, and the sad smudge out welcome sign, and Jihoon agrees.</p>
<p>Nowadays, only the hotel remains relatively in tacked and serviceable. The sixteen-floor building is comically grandiose with the lobby itself being more than one hundred feet in height. A beautiful, crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling that only illuminates the dusty cobwebs and peeling paint all around.</p>
<p>An understaffed team, a shell of opulence, and an untold story at the center.</p>
<p>“We were once a small restaurant,” Jihoon says, sitting on the edge of the roof facing the rotting carnival stands. He’s the oldest of the workers here and the only one with his true name. “We provided spirits with their last meal before they left, and if anyone wished to linger, Jeonghan-hyung would take them in to ease them into their next life. To allow them peace.”</p>
<p>Jihoon always looks towards the dilapidated restaurant building with a wistful look. The roof is the only place the old restaurant building can be seen like it was hidden and tucked away on purpose. And maybe it was.</p>
<p>“But that’s before Joshua-hyung and _________-hyung left,” Jihoon says slowly, swinging his fading legs over the side. “Everything changed after they left.”</p>
<p>Xiaoba barely flinches now when the world goes quiet and then the sound resumes just as abruptly as it stopped. As someone who’s had his name taken, he cannot hear the true names of other nameless ones.  </p>
<p>Sometimes, he wonders who Jihoon is talking about and whether he’s passed them in the hallways—he wonders if Jihoon passes them in the hallways, knowing but quiet.</p>
<p>Here, peace is the ultimate goal no matter what the consequence and Jihoon knows this better than most.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>“What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>The human whips around with a look of terror and Xiaoba is sure he’s returning the same expression.</p>
<p>“I—I don’t know?” the human squeaks. The boy has the height of an adult, but he speaks like a child. In the rush to turn, the human trips over his feet and lands ungracefully on his butt.</p>
<p>“You shouldn’t be here,” Xiaoba says. He looks to the sky and frowns at the setting sun. If the skies completely darken, the human will be trapped here. Xiaoba looks over his shoulder. He sees 员右 <em>Yuanyou’s</em> cats on the window sill.</p>
<p>Ah, crap. Yuanyou’s a nice guy overall, but he’s loyal to Jeonghan. If he wants to get this human away, Xiaoba knows he needs to do it before the cats would report back to Yuanyou.</p>
<p>“Uh, where is this place? You are the only semi-normal looking person I’ve met so far. Is this a carnival? Is this some costume party—?”</p>
<p>They are too close to the hotel with only a bridge separating them from the carnival area. The later it got into the night, the more and more spirits arrived to visit. As beaten down as the carnival was, it still brought some joy to the lowly spirits and struggling energies.</p>
<p>“Suddenly, this four-eyed cat came out of nowhere and turned huge and started chasing me! I still don’t know where I am!”</p>
<p>Xiaoba needs to get the human to the main gate. How? Xiaoba gauges the boy. He can always fly the human to the outer gate. He’s done something like that before. He thinks.</p>
<p>“Hey, please respond to me? All of this is too strange and my dad turned into a fish so I’m a little freaked out—”</p>
<p>“There’s another human?” Xiaoba asks incredulously. “Do we need to take him too?”</p>
<p>The human seems a little shocked at the question, and then his brows furrow and his bottom lip jut outward.</p>
<p>“He’s my <em>dad</em>,” the human declares. “I have to take him home too.”</p>
<p>The cat laughs on the window sill. It’s human voice clashes with its delicate build.</p>
<p>“What do you say, Xiaoba?” the cat questions, jumping down from its perch. “Let’s just take him to the Boss and call it a day.”</p>
<p>Xiaoba answers with a freezing charm, suspending the cat in midair paralyzed but its eyes moving around frantically.</p>
<p>He grabs Mingyu’s wrist and gives a singular command, “Run.”</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>(Never once did he question why he knew Mingyu’s name. He just knew he had to get him out of here.)</p>
<p>---</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello TT this...this is not really how I planned out for this fic to be LMAO </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the original story I outlined...I just couldn't finish with my work really ramping up in the past 2-3 weeks. It was really unfortunate and I hope to actually finish the original story one day XD </p>
<p>Thank you for reading this lil mess of a prologue TT </p>
<p>Also, thank you to the director cut mods! ^^ This was a really fresh lil fic fest!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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